What is this?

[#1]

There is one thing which I sometimes badly need while using Maps. I go to some places intentionally or just during Map browsing for information and there are certain things/places or structures which I want to know more about but I can't. There I feel a need of an option for letting me ask the Maps (via LGs or otherwise): 'What is this?'

This specially happens with long things like water bodies/canals/streams/rivers/glaciers etc. It also happens in mid of cities and villages where there are some places physically visible but not yet added to Maps officially. I wish to know more about these but I don't know who to ask. When a pin is  dropped, please add a button of 'What is this/that?' in further options. This will also help people add/find more missing places.

[sonnyNg]

Hi @GhazalaShah,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

On that regard, you would suggest to provide more geographic specifics of the place you are headed to on Google Maps, correct? 

Please do not hesitate to elaborate more if my gues could be rectified. If possible, you may also provide a screenshot of the step that you think the feature should be implemented. 

[GhazalaShah]

Respected @sonnyNg Merry Christmas! 🌲🌼🦃🍰🍟 I am pleased to see your comment. I admit that I am not an expert user of software so further explanation given by me, may not strengthen support in favor of this idea. But I still believe that implementing this idea would help many on maps and users will love it. However this can increase the work load on Maps.

Examples

-During my search of Gilgit-Baltistan I often see mountain peaks, water streams & glaciers which are not officially added on maps by name. Local guides of those areas can give clues about this. 

-There is a well developed irrigation system on river Indus in Sindh. Maps mentions the names of canals issuing from Sukkur barrage and Guddu barrage at places but not throughout their lengths. So if I wish to find which one is Dadu canal near it's end among many other canals; I have to trace it's serpentine course from Sukkur barrage where it starts. Similarly not all glaciers and water streams are identified by name throughout their lengths so to confirm which snow or water body I am looking at, I have to trace it to it's origin. 

-In cities for example I see some large shade near a place I know, I get curious to know what place is there under this shade & this a local guide of that neighborhood will tell in a jiffy.

When we drop a pin at some point we get some options like add a missing place, report a problem at pin dropped, measure distance, nearby place name, longitude & latitude, plus code etc. My idea is that we can add one more option of 'what is this?' or 'which place is that'?  and by clicking it one should be led to best possible guidance options Maps already has or sends notifications (Do you know what/which place is this/that?) to suitable local guides to answer the question and get them a little reward (points) for answering. However questions about prohibited or sensitive locations may be ignored or dealt with differently.

[sonnyNg]

Hi @GhazalaShah!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, too!

Thank you kindly for the examples and further explanation. It may indeed be helpful for the community to have additional information.

On that regard, you may send a feedback to Google Maps and in the meantime, I have changed the status of your idea for other Local Guides can now vote for it to show support!

[IshantHP_ig]

@GhazalaShah i agreed with you

Better to make a separate application for local guides connect and it'll be more handy and benefical for everyone.

@sonnyNg

[Deepak__dubey__]

1. 3. Some questions are not clear or doubtful about , place like you are asking about a river , how can we will post a river pic cause there are no specific point in river you must give a place name with this question cause if we are going to upload photos which photos is exat for the river. you didn't achieve the places here I'm just want to tell you one thing add a place name with river that's is make local guides more clear about questions and we can divide the river with places, and described whole thing when someone want to know about river ... Or some area of river ...

[sonnyNg]

Hi @Deepak__dubey__,

Thanks for sharing with us!

Regarding your suggestion, feel free to check another post, What is this?, as there would be many details that can be inspected.

Follow up to that, I have relocated your post there, for further convenience.

[TsekoV]

Hello @GhazalaShah,

We would like to thank you for your ideas, but we did not manage to implement it in time and according to our Idea Exchange policies we are going to need to close your idea.